On Tuesday, President Trump criticized the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), for downplaying a colleague’s emails with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Raskin referred to it as merely “receiving a call from a constituent.”
This comment emerged during a House Oversight Committee meeting held on February 27, 2019, which was also attended by Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen. It was focused on the disciplinary actions related to Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI) and her communications with Epstein.
“I indicted a Democrat for receiving a phone call from a constituent, Jeffrey Epstein, during a public hearing,” Raskin stated during a debate on the resolution. “And, of course, I don’t think there’s a rule against making phone calls at a hearing.”
Continuing his remarks, Raskin challenged Republicans by asking, “We don’t know yet what the charges are. Where’s the ethical violation? Where’s the legal violation? Are you suggesting that anyone who called Jeffrey Epstein should face censure? Be careful with your answers, because there’s likely more to come, right? So you should consider the reasoning behind rushing to this judgment.”
The White House’s Rapid Response X account responded sharply, stating, “Jamie Raskin, one of the worst people to ever embarrass a Congressional floor, described @StaceyPlaskett as merely ‘taking calls from constituents’ while she was in contact with a convicted sex offender during a committee hearing. These people are sick!”
White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson also questioned Raskin’s comments: “Why would Mr. Raskin belittle a colleague speaking with a convicted sex offender? Is it because he knows his colleague?” Quoting House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, she added, “Did you also want to have dinner with Epstein? Or are you worried about what else might surface regarding the Dems?”
A motion to censure Plaskett and remove her from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence did not pass, with a vote of 214 to 209.
In a recent session, the House of Representatives voted to require the Justice Department to release all files related to Epstein. Epstein was apprehended on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019, just months after he contacted Plaskett, and he died in a Manhattan jail on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial.
